NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in space (Source: X)

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Wilmore's journey on the Starliner spacecraft feels like a science thriller. It started with NASA's announcement that Williams and his fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore would be the first to fly aboard the Boeing Starliner. First the launch was delayed by a month, now their return to Earth has been postponed by several months.

Who are Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore?

File photo: Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore

Williams is an Indian-American astronaut, one of the first women to fly aboard Starliner's maiden mission, and has spent 322 days in space over three missions. Wilmore is an eight-time space veteran and a retired United States Navy captain, having completed two space flights for a total of 178 days in space.

What is the motive of this mission?

Boeing Starliner (Image credit: X)

The main purpose of this space mission is to test and validate the capabilities of the Boeing Starliner Spacecraft that ensure safety and functionality for future manned space flights, the scientific research and experiments carried out on board the ISS will significantly contribute to our perception of space and technological advances. The longer duration allows astronauts to collect a significant amount of data that supports NASA's long-term goals related to space exploration and human spaceflight.

Is Sunita Williams returning to Earth?

Recently, a video of astronaut Sunita Williams aboard a spacecraft made the rounds on social media. The viral clip claims that the Indian-American astronaut will return to Earth after 127 days of her expedition in space.
However, the clip is over a decade old and has nothing to do with their current mission. This video with the caption “After successful 127 days of space tour, 'Ms Sunita Williams' returns safely to Earth” was filmed around 2012. The original seven-minute video features Williams providing a tour of life aboard spaceflight International Space Station (ISS) during the final days of one of their previous expeditions. The tour video that NASA uploaded to YouTube more than 12 years ago is currently circulating on the Internet in an edited and much shorter form.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1056715439572901
Currently, Sunita Williams is aboard the ISS, but she has yet to return to Earth. Since June 2024, Williams has been on board the ISS with fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore. The mission was originally planned to last ten days following the successful docking of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft with the ISS, but was extended due to technical problems in the Starliner. Therefore, their stay on the ISS was extended until February 2025. During their extended spaceflight, the astronauts are expected to spend a total of around 240 days in space and continue to work to collect valuable data.

What is the current update?

Williams and Wilmore will return to Earth after months of work aboard the International Space Station in the SpaceX Dragon capsule, rather than the Starliner that was supposed to retrieve the abandoned astronauts from space.

Everything you need to know

It is important to be informed of the facts that it is still actively involved in its mission and will not return to Earth until next year. Although this video of Sunita Williams taking a tour of the ISS is interesting and looks like it was shot recently, it is over 10 years old and has nothing to do with her new journey. Misinformation is spreading like wildfire, but facts say Williams is still on the ISS and will return in 2025.